A Bass Pro Weighs In on the Dog Days of Summer

"Fishing in the middle of summer can be absolutely miserable, especially when there's no breeze to help cool you off," says pro angler Kenny Johnson. "When you're fishing a tournament or practicing for one, you really don't have more than two options: either quit and go home, or put your head down and fish."

With these words, Johnson offered some tips on how to catch bass during the dog days of summer, starting with what he considers his top five baits for hot summer bites.

He likes to throw a topwater popper in late summer. "Topwater baits typically work best in early morning and late evening," he said, adding that "varying the retrieve speed will help you find out if the fish prefer a faster or slower meal."

As the sun climbs higher in the sky, and the water temperatures heat up, Johnson shifts his focus to deep-water crankbaits.

"Pitching jigs around docks also is a great way to entice sluggish largemouths to bite," he said. "Pitching a jig underneath the dock and slowly bouncing it on the bottom is one of the best go-to baits for pro anglers in summer tournaments.

"Just like a jig, a Texas-rig can turn out to be a moneymaker in the summer heat. Many bass will be at or near the bottom of lakes, which makes a Texas-rigged worm a valuable option in the dog days of summer. Texas rigs often resemble a baitfish that appears to be foraging along the bottom, making an easy meal for a big bass."

Last but not least on Johnson's list of five best baits is the drop shot. "These baits can be rigged with a variety of different soft plastics, which makes them probably the most valuable of the five lures," he continued.

According to Johnson, water temperature is key when you're trying to put fish in the livewell or cooler during hot summer days. "Pay attention to water temps, because if you see lower water temps, you'll find fish are more active when it's really hot outside," he said.

On large reservoirs, Johnson identifies when dams will be pulling currents. "Find out when they are pulling currents at your lake because it really will turn on the fishing," he said. "It's really hit or miss sometimes, but when they create that current, it often dictates when bass will start feeding and become more active. The fish will set up on drop-offs, points, and brush piles near where there is water current."

Overall, Johnson recommends sticking with deep water when you're trying to get a bite in the hot summer sun. "That means using whatever electronics you have to identify deep-water structure and those deep schools of bass," he said.

"If you can find deep structure, you'll almost always find bass. Once you find them, then you can start working on them with different lures to see what they want to bite.

"First, look for active fish and throw a crankbait to see if you can get one to react," continued Johnson. "If you can get those active fish to bite, you can bounce around from spot to spot and get your limit."

He says there are a number of different kinds of crankbaits that will be effective, depending on the area you are fishing and the particular color combination that enhances bass to strike. Depending on how active the fish are, you likely will need to try a faster or slower retrieve.

Should the bass not take an interest in a crankbait, Johnson's second most productive option is using Texas-rigged creature baits.

"I like to use a Strike King Rage Craw, or some kind of crawfish," he said. "You want to throw it out there and really let it soak, or in other words, work it ultra slow."

Johnson further noted that the drop-shot rig is popular nearly year-round in some form. "These can be used with worms, flukes, lizards, and just about any other kind of soft-plastic bait you can imagine," he said. "I like to use a shad-colored Roboworm on a drop shot when it's really hot, and the bass are down deep," he concluded.